Love God Love One Another

Celebrating 60 years of loving God and loving one another, we look forward to the future with hope! We will never change the world by going to church, we will only change the world by being the church. We must embrace a transformative mindset to adapt to the issues of today and serve others in meaningful and relevant ways. Despite a changing future, we can be steady—Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. May hope and love sustain us together. #60Years #AllAboutLove #LoveGod #LoveOneAnother #messiahyl

Striving to see things from a divine point of view helps us gain perspective. We can "get it" in one moment and then totally miss the bigger opportunity God is curating. We can get distracted easily by striving to win the game of life. What will it do to gain the whole world and lose your soul? Living generously for the benefit of others helps us become who we were made to be. #InChrist #YouHaveEnough #Relationships #GiveLove #messiahyl

Our society elevates toxic pride and self-sufficiency. The pull is substantial! Trusting in God is "easier said, than done." Casting our anxieties on the Lord is not a sign of weakness; rather, this act of acknowledging a need for help and receiving grace is the very practice that brings peace to our seeking soul. Embracing daily moments of stillness with God leads to greater freedom and awareness of God's provision for our needs. #NotAlone #GreaterFreedom #CastingAnxiety #messiahyl

Laughter is a beautiful and universal language that brings joy into our life. (Ecc 3:4) Our capacity to feel deeply and empathize with others is a gift from God...and the very nature of God. Holy humor is good medicine and balm for our souls. Laughter brings a shared camaraderie and we should practice it often! #HolyHumor #GiftOfLaughter #messiahyl

In a world crying out for transformation, the key is loving those who God loves—seeing every person as a fellow bearer of God's image—even those who personally oppose or align themselves against us or God. Radical grace received helps us stand in the gap and strive for alignment with God's moral imperative to love and allow redemptive power to flow through us. #OurJourneyTogetherIsShort #LoveYourEnemies #messiahyl

How open and aware are your eyes and heart for the needs of others? The Christian imperative is to live-out love for others. We are saved by a faith that integrates good works to serve Jesus. We serve Jesus by serving others...who are are one and the same! #Neighbors #LoveOverFear #messiahyl

Jesus demonstrated his love by giving His life for us. In the Good Samaritan parable, Jesus teaches us to love our neighbor as God loves us. But who is my neighbor? If you were down in the ditch, who would you not expect to help you out? If you were the one on the road, who would you be least likely to help? Focused on the good news, we realize God loves everyone, especially people we don't think deserve it. Everyone is welcome, even us! #WhoIsMyNeighbor? #messiahyl

When does eternity start and end? We often talk about eternal life as the time after we die. If eternity started before we did, we are living in eternity today. The big question is: "Are we living now in an eternal relationship with God?" Are we living God's values? They are "Love God, love others, love yourself"....but, importantly, I am third. #NotAboutMe #GodsHandywork #messiahyl

If Jesus were in our world today, what would He see? On a journey of faith, the bible's Phillip told Nathaniel: "Come and see!" Like us, Jesus accepts Nathaniel just as he his, where he is at, in his place of disbelieving doubt. See the world as Jesus does. Share this welcoming message with others. #ComeAndSee #messiahyl

How you spend your time, how you spend your money, what you think about will affect what's important to you. Thoughts often become actions, actions become habits, and habits shape our character. Try a 60-day challenge to invest in a spiritual practice to grow closer to God. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." #intentional #living #messiahyl

The desire for freedom is universal...if something, misunderstood. The true nature of freedom is not best served by asserting rights of personal freedom, but, rather, liberated freedom that allows openness to serve God and others in gratitude. It is transformative and rewarding because it is fully aligned with how we were created. #serving #messiahyl

We all mess up! Despite how great our failure is, God's grace is abundantly greater. We are made in the image of God with great capacity for love. We don't sin wildly because forgiveness is easy. We are part of a faith community and we belong to God. We are transformed and, therefore, live in response to newness of life—dead to the power of sin. Our failures are made right through the redemption of Jesus Christ. #dying #rising #newlife #BeWhoYouAre #messiahyl

Sometimes, I feel alone. How about you? We are in this together. Being made in the image of God, we are made for relationship...to God and to one another. You are not alone, Jesus is always with you—and we have each other. We have been rescued, freed, and are supported by a God who loves us. Rejoice, be reconciled, encourage one another, live in peace, and greet others with inclusion. #InThisTogether #YouAreNotAlone #messiahyl

Get cut in! Focus better, get it right, work harder! God offers an easier path to living burden-free. You can get it right and it doesn't require working harder...just living in the grace and goodness of what Jesus did. Live the good life with God's loving grace in Jesus Christ. #GetItRight #messiahyl

What gives you a worry? Do you find your mind cultivating anxious thoughts? Fear, worry, dread are part of the human condition...but we can let it go and be set free. Release begins when we focus on what Jesus did to free us, to forgive us, pay a ransom for us, defeats evil, and to daily care for us. Give your worry to God. #anxiety #befree #messiahyl

Have you ever found yourself in a place of pain, shame, or embarrassment? Bound in a prison of your own making? Peter may have been chosen by Jesus to be the foundation and rock of His church...not because of his great faith or actions, but because he, too, fell very short of this and was in need of grace and forgiveness. Confession is good for every soul. It is important for us to name what is broken in us to drill down to the heart of the matter—our need for forgiveness. As you have been forgiven—go be giving...#Forgiveness #messiahyl

What is it about us humans that "everybody wants to rule the world?" This yearning showcases our wandering, self-centered, and selfish desire for more power and control. Seduced away from the plan God set for us, we often find ourselves in the condition of being all messed-up. God is God—we are not. #LetsNotOppose #GodsWill #messiahyl

Would you agree, the best bite of the cinnamon roll is the delectable center? Living into the mindset of Jesus is a promise of the presence of God (always) and this state of being is sweet words of hope that are far better than cinnamon rolls. #FaithIsLike #LikeACinnamonRoll #messiahyl

In whom do you trust? Yourself? Others? What respect will you grant to someone proven to hold your best interests, shown to love you in every situation, and prepared to give even their own life to save you? Jesus is the fulfillment of a loving confidence in your worth. Pride in our self-styled success and worldly credentials is unremarkable in comparison. Living a generous and content life begins in realizing there's a surpassing value of knowing and following the one who made you (and makes you) worthy. #giveup #yourpride #tobegrounded #inlove #messiahyl

A divided house cannot stand. How do we build a proper, healthy foundation in our family, community, and world as a follower of Jesus? How can we find unity in our diversity—which is often so prickly? What does love require? We can make our deepest convictions come from our faith and unity of spirit and not our ideological preferences. When we ground our foundation in love and live as as peacemakers we mirror Christ to our world. #lovealike #commonground #unityofspirit #messiahyl